Storm on the Horizon

When I left the house today I thought a storm coming in from the northeast would miss us. Still, dark clouds moved closer and I decided to go 3 miles instead of 4. That turned out to be the right choice. As I turned into our part of the neighborhood it started raining. The Wife was backing out of the garage to go someplace, so I talked to her briefly and got a little wetter. Not too bad, though, and it came down even more after I made it inside. Again, this is Texas, we need rain, and no hard feelings on my part. For the outing, I bookended it with half-mile walks, with a 1/2 mile run, 1/4 walk, 1/2 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, and 1/2 mile run in the middle. That means I ran half of it, which was pretty good for a very humid day at 88 degrees.

More Walking and Running

I went 4 miles again today, and here's how it worked out: walk 1/2 mile, run 1/2 mile, walk .4 miles, run 1/2 mile, walk .1 mile, run 1/2 mile, walk 1/2 mile, run 1/2 mile, walk the rest of the way home. Even though the temperature was just below 80 degrees, the humidity was (and is) very high. I got in about 8k steps through all that. I saw plenty of people walking, running, and riding. The most curious was the guy on the powered scooter who whizzed by. Kudos to him for getting outdoors, but does that actually count as exercise?

Stepping In

Last time I mentioned the step challenge at work coming up in September. Not a fan of carrying the iPhone everywhere in order to count steps (21st-century problems, I know), so today I ordered an Apple Watch. Due to the program we have at work for rewarding co-workers and people who make a difference, I had enough accumulated to get one. Except for fifty cents that I had to pay out of my own pocket. Again, those 21-st century problems.

With today's 4-mile run/walk, where I ran half of it in different segments, I'm close to 10k steps. Not that I'm that anal retentive about it, but I haven't done this since I had a FitBit back when we lived in KC. That's been 7+ years ago. And as for today's outing, it was good. Above 90 degrees, but the hundreds seem to be out of the picture for the time being. Until we get below 80 I'll still be walking from time to time.

Post-Rain Outing

We finally got a ton of rain yesterday. We were supposed to be doused on Sunday, but the weatherman whiffed on that one. Near downtown Dallas it flooded, but in our area it was dry until early Monday. It even drizzled a little bit most of the morning and into the afternoon today. I was thinking about running the whole way this afternoon but the temperature got into the mid-80s and it was huuuuuumid. I went 3 miles and ran half of it in three different sections.

At work we're doing a step challenge in September. I've been carrying my phone recently to listen to podcasts but it wasn't tracking my steps. Let's just say it was harder than it needed to be to find out how to turn it back on to track. I'm good now and did over 7k steps today. If I was training for a marathon I'd probably win the challenge hands down.

Rain at Last

We finally got a ton of rain on Thursday. It was so nice. The temperature plummeted into the mid-70s as it rained for two hours and rivers of water ran down the streets. As opposed to last time, this time there was too much for the dry ground to absorb and there was water in the creek this morning. I went 3 miles with intermittent walking and running since it was quite humid. We have more rain coming in the over the next few days, so I'll get in my exercise as I can.

Work and Walk

Interesting outing today. Went for w walk during the last call of the day, which really was a fyi for me. I didn't have to participate until about 2 miles into 3 total. And since I walked it all I could pause in the shade and say my piece. After that I listened to the podcast the rest of the way home. According to the forecast this might be one of our last 100 degree days. I'm going to have to find some future motivation because I love the heat.

Half Run

I went 3 miles again today, half of it walking and half running. The temperature was above 90 degrees and plenty humid, so alternating walk/run seemed like the right thing to do. It went pretty well, especially considering I did it later in the morning. I needed breakfast and coffee first today, though, hence the delay. I saw a few people out but there were probably more earlier in the morning. I considered waiting until tomorrow but decided I didn't really want to. I've also been listening to a new podcast, or at least new to me, called History That Doesn't Suck. The guy starts with American colonies and moves quickly over the first few episodes into the battles that marked the start of the Revolutionary War. So far, so good. I'm enjoying it.

How About Some Rain?

Yesterday I went for my normal off-day walk, and it went pretty well. It was cloudy, and when I checked the radar everything was sliding past us to the west. The wind picked up, and toward the end I saw lightning about a mile away. That's usually my signal to head for cover. I ended up a little under 2 miles. When I got home it went like usual for a while. The storm was heading toward us and then split to completely go around. It's like we were an anti-magnet. That finally ended about 6:30 when we had actual rain for the first time in months. For an hour or so. It was fantastic. And the temperature dropped to 75 degrees. This might be normal elsewhere but not around here, and not lately.

Today would normally be a running day, but that didn't happen. I walked 3 miles, thought about running a few times, and decided against it. The temperature was 98 degrees with heat index of 102. What was interesting was the condition of the creek I normally run past and then run next to several times. I thought after yesterday the water might be higher and moving a little, but instead it was muddy pools along the creek bed. Apparently the rain we received yesterday was so needed that the ground just sucked it up and runoff was non-existent. Here's hoping for more rain.

No Rain

Typical day here lately at the old homestead. Clouds rolled in, rain fell...but none of it here. Still haven't had any measurable rain in a couple of months. Nevertheless, the temperature fell into the mid-80s and it was nice enough to go outside. I tried to escape work but I got an annoying instant message that I should have ignored, but apparently I'm too stupid. I didn't get out until almost five p.m. but I couldn't pass up this day. I went 3 miles total, running about 80% of it. Including a sprint at the end. Yes, nice cloudy outing and enjoyed it. How often has that happened lately? Oh, and walked 3 miles yesterday as well when the forecast was 98 degrees but turned into 102.

Enjoying Summer

Went for a 3-miler this morning. I ran only a half-mile of it, feeling that it was better to walk today for some reason. Plus it kept me out longer. Plenty of sweat, plenty of summer still left to go. Saw several people out on bicycles, running, and walking. Seems a little different from a few days ago, but maybe it was the time of day. Or of the week. Looks like school is about ready to start again since there was something going on at the high school this morning and the parking lot was full. I'm also defrosting the beer fridge and spent a few hours in the garage enjoying the heat. Later it's over to a friend's for a pool party and some food. All pretty good for a Saturday.

Ain't Nobody

Wasn't nobody out this afternoon. Except me. 102 degrees, 105 heat index. Which is actually not that bad for August in Texas. I went 3+ miles, total, with 1 mile of it running. I could tell how hot it was when the wind at my back cooled me off. That rarely happens, The only other people I saw out today were people in cars with their a/c on. Can't blame them.

I also realized somewhere during the run that I am more willing to get out in 100+ degrees than I am in winter when it's 50 degrees. That has to change this year.